


The Strayaway Child

by podracing-on-lothal (CelticRomulan)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Thrawn - Timothy Zahn
Genre: Chiss, F/M, Found Family, Interspecies Adoption, Interspecies Romance, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, chiss jedi, huge dog tiny girl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2018-12-05 07:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11572830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelticRomulan/pseuds/podracing-on-lothal
Summary: (Please note, the current title is just a placeholder)





	1. Chapter 1

“Are these all of the passengers?”

Commander Eli Vanto counted the number of names on the passenger manifest again. Fifty-seven names. Fifty-seven beings. The list checked out.

“Yes sir,” the commander said. He scanned the line of beings that stood before him in the Chimaera’s cargo bay. Most of them were aliens, and several of them were far too young to have been suspects.

Their ship had been a modest civilian transport bound for Ord Trasi from Muunilinst—at least, that was what it seemed like from a cursory glance. Customs at the Skyhook spaceport were more thorough than the ship’s captain had anticipated, and had stopped it for a closer inspection. It turned out that the ship was carrying more than just civilian passengers.

But from what Eli could see, most of the beings lined up before him hardly looked like they could have been suspects at all.

The hangar bay doors opened, and every officer straightened and stood at attention.

“Admiral Thrawn,” Eli saluted. “The passengers are all here and accounted for.”

“Excellent,” Thrawn said. He took the datapad from the commander and skimmed over the list of names.

“Unknown species?” he asked.

“Sir?”

“One of the passengers is listed as an unknown species,” Thrawn said.

“Could be a hybrid, sir,” Eli said.

“We shall see.” Thrawn approached the line and began to walk down the length of it, stopping every so often to question someone.

He stopped before a little girl and crouched down to her eye-level. “And what is your name?” he asked her politely. The girl gasped and promptly scurried behind her mother’s legs.

“Her name is Ennis, sir,” the mother answered. “Please forgive her, she’s very shy.”

The little girl peeked out from behind her mother for a short second, met the admiral’s gaze, and ducked behind her again.

“No offense taken,” Thrawn said as he stood up and continued to the next being.

As Eli passed them, he could hear little Ennis whispering to her mother…

“Mama, did you see his eyes? He’s an alien!”

At length, Thrawn stopped in front of a hooded figure. He glanced at the datapad again, and surveyed the line of beings one more time.

“You,” he said, motioning to them, “Is your name…Nilana?”

“Yessir,” a muffled, reedy voice said quietly.

Thrawn took another glance at the datapad. “Remove your hood, Nilana.”

The figure’s shoulders tensed. “Um…”

“Uh…she has a blemish, sir,” a burly, blue-skinned male Twi’lek standing next to her said. “She doesn’t—”

“Quiet, you!” one of the officers barked at him. The Twi’lek glared at him, but said nothing further.

“It’s all right,” Thrawn said softly to the small figure. He reached for their hood, but drew back when the figure’s hands reluctantly came up to draw it back. Eli noticed right away that their fingers were blue…

A mane of long, blue-black hair spilled from the being’s hood, cascading around their shoulders.

Or more appropriately,  _her_  shoulders. She opened her eyes, revealing them to be a bright, glittering red.

She was Chiss, just like Thrawn.

Eli glanced at Thrawn, hoping to see his reaction. All the Admiral did was furrow his brow.

“Well…” Thrawn mused, “This is…truly unexpected.  _Veacar tvakhat, vir’chah? Nerles’iniz?_ ”

The girl stared blankly at him, confused. She glanced over at Eli, as if she were wordlessly asking for help. Their eyes met for a mere second, and Eli suddenly realized he was blushing. He looked away, biting his tongue in embarrassment.

“ _Vah k'irnah tisut Cheunh, k'irvah?_ ” Thrawn asked her. “Minnisiat? No? Surely you speak Sy Bisti?”  

Nilana shook her head. “<<Just…words small, no many>>,” she answered in broken Sy Bisti.

“<<You only know a few words, but not enough for conversation>>,” Eli corrected her. The girl looked at him again, surprised that he could speak her language better than she, and nodded.

Thrawn gave Eli a cold look. “Indeed,” he said.

“I speak Muunish,” Nilana said sheepishly, “if you want to know what I  _can_  speak besides Basic.”

Someone behind Eli stifled a laugh.

Thrawn raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?” he asked. He gave her a once over one more time before moving on to the next person in line. “I will want to speak with you later, Nilana,” he said. “We have much to discuss, you and I.”

Nilana said nothing, staring after the other Chiss. Eli gave her an apologetic look as he passed by her. He saw her open her mouth to speak, but she changed her mind and stayed silent as he and the rest of the officers continued to question the other passengers.


	2. Chapter 2

Shasta Saridi found Nilana sitting by herself next to a pile of crates in a far corner of the hangar. She was fingering her pendant again. The big Twi’lek took a seat on one of the crates.

“Hey,” he said. The Chiss girl looked up, carefully tucking her pendant back under her tunic. “Mind if I sit here?”

“You already are, Shasta,” Nilana said. “You don’t need to ask.”

Shasta smiled. He reached down and mussed her shiny blue-black hair. “It’s going to be okay,” he reassured her. “It’s not like he’s going to interrogate you or anything.”

“Who, the admiral?” Nilana asked. She shrugged. Shasta saw her put her hand to her chest where her pendant was hiding.

“Could be worse, you know,” Shasta said. “He could ask you about those power cells you lifted from those stormtroopers back when we were on Ord Mantell. Or that one time you went after that moff’s motorcade with a squirt gun during Ascension Week on Dantooine…”

“That’s not funny, Shasta,” Nilana warned. The girl glanced around to make sure no one else was listening in on their conversation. She brought her knees up to her face, wrapping her arms around her legs. Shasta could not help but notice how small she looked all curled up like that.

She was nervous.

“It’s okay, little sister,” Shasta said. He stood, putting a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. “I won’t tell if you won’t.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze, and left her alone with her thoughts.

***

Thrawn looked across his desk at the middle-aged Twi’lek woman sitting across from him. To say she was displeased was an understatement.

“Sabaa Saridi,” Thrawn addressed her, “They say you are responsible for most of the passengers on board the _Obtrexta Runner_?”

The Twi’lek woman crossed her arms stubbornly. “That’s right,” she drawled. “I suppose you’re going to want to know if I’m responsible for the Chiss girl as well? If you _really_ should know, the answer is yes.”

_Her voice clearly indicates her displeasure at being detained here. There is also a hint of defensiveness, given her posture._  “So I thought. Your son’s behavior certainly gave it away.”

“Shasta’s a bit of a hot head. He does that sometimes.”

“He gets it from you, I’m sure,” Thrawn said. “So tell me, how did Nilana end up in your care?”

Sabaa sighed. _Clearly this is not the first time she has had to explain this._ “I found Nilana’s parents while I was scouting for new talent on Scipio. Her mother was a singer, you see. Nilana was born…a year or two later, I think.”

“And where are her parents now?” Thrawn asked.

_Her jaw clenches as she takes a moment to answer. The fate of Nilana’s parents is clearly a painful, if tragic, subject._ “They’re dead,” Sabaa said flatly. “I promised Nirys I would look after her daughter should anything happen to them. So I did.”

“Nirys?”

“Yes, that was her name. The father’s name was Nesteln.”

Thrawn leaned forward. “Did you know their full names?” he asked.

“Um…” Sabaa scratched her head. “Fion’irys—something or other. I remember Nesteln explaining Fion is their family name, but I’m afraid I don’t remember the rest. Apparently you Chiss have long names.”

Thrawn smirked. “Indeed we do,” he said as he sat back in his chair.

“You’ll have to ask Nilana what her full name is,” Sabaa added. “Though to be honest, I don’t think she remembers it all that well either. Her mother died when she was five.”

“Five?” Thrawn asked. “I’m sure she remembers it.” He picked up a datapad. “Now, about the rest of your people…”


	3. Interlude

_Nilana peeked out from behind a piece of stage scenery, just out of sight of everyone else. She watched as dozens of beings sang and danced the opening number of the show. It was all so mesmerizing…_

_She was only two in Chiss years—the human equivalent of a four year-old, but still very young and impressionable nonetheless. Her glittering red eyes flitted back and forth as she watched the performers dance, searching for one in particular…_

_“Psst! Nilana!” a voice hissed behind her. Instinctively, she turned see her father motioning for her to come away from the stage. She turned back to the stage to watch some more._

_“Nilana!” her father said, a little more firmly. “Come. Your eyes will be seen by the rest of the audience. Come down here with me.”_

_Little Nilana rolled her eyes, but knew better than to talk back. She turned and made her way backstage to join her father._

_“I can’t find Mama,” she said._

_Nesteln placed a finger to his lips, quietly hushing her. “She’ll be singing the next song,_ vir’chah _, don’t worry.” He picked her up and carried her down a short flight of stairs. At length, Nilana saw that they were in the audience hall, tucked away in a corner right next to the stage, looking on from Stage Right. Nesteln found an unoccupied seat and sat down, settling Nilana on his lap._

_It was then that she saw her mother._

_Nirys was breathtakingly beautiful, clad in a shimmering midnight blue dress speckled with silver—the house colors of their family. The Chiss woman’s hair spilled down her shoulders and back, artfully braided away from her face, revealing the subtle, intricate swirls of color painted upon her brow, cheeks, and eyelids. She looked like a goddess, clothed in the starry sky of a moonless night._

_Nilana listened as her mother sang in Cheunh. The girl could barely understand the words, but the way Nirys sang made them resonate within her in ways she could not explain._

_Nesteln let her lean into his shoulder as he stroked her hair. He was smiling……_


	4. Chapter 4

Nilana was escorted to a small shipboard conference room by a pair of stormtroopers. The fact that they were carrying blasters with them made her even more nervous than she already was. Thrawn had invited her to join him for dinner with some of the other officers. She had had to change her outfit to something a little more presentable than the simple traveling tunic she had worn earlier that day. Shasta had grumbled about how unfair it was that she was invited to dine with the higher-ups, and no one else was, but there was nothing Nilana could do about it. As of today, Thrawn was the only other Chiss besides her parents who existed in this galaxy, so far away from the Ascendancy.

Nilana never knew the Chiss Ascendancy. She was born on Scipio, and had lived the modest life that came with traveling performers. Tante Sabaa was gracious enough to take her parents in when they couldn’t find any steady, honest work among the former Banking Clan systems. It was fortunate that her mother was a talented enough singer to earn a place in Tante Sabaa’s theater troupe while they were touring Scipio.

She had never really been told what her parents were doing so far from the Chiss Ascendancy. From what little her mother had told her before she died, Nilana only knew that her parents had once been soldiers loyal to the Second Ruling Family. As she grew older, Nilana suspected they had been exiled…but for what, she could not figure out. Treason, perhaps, but that did not make sense…here in this part of the galaxy, treason was punishable by death. She had tried to ask Tante Sabaa, but there was very little she had to share that her mother hadn’t already told her.

Nilana had a feeling this Admiral Thrawn would know.

The conference room door opened. The commander who had corrected her Sy Bisti earlier that day was there to greet her.

“Miss Nilana,” he said politely, inclining his head slightly. He motioned for her to follow him.

Admiral Thrawn stood to greet her as she and the commander approached. “So nice of you to join us, Nilana,” he said. She took a seat next to him, and the commander sat down across from her. “May I introduce Captain Karyn Faro, my second-in-command. You’ve already met Commander Eli Vanto.”

Eli smiled at her. Nilana felt her nervousness slowly evaporate as she smiled back.

“So, Nilana,” Thrawn said as everyone served themselves. “I’m told you’re a musician.”

Nilana looked at Thrawn. No doubt Tante Sabaa told him. “Yes,” she said. “I sing too, sometimes.”

“I take it your mother taught you?”

“Just a little. Muirean taught me to play the hallikset, and I taught myself flute.”

“I see,” Thrawn said. “It sounds to me like your family was very passionate about music and the performing arts.”

“My mother was. My father…he just helped out when he could…” Nilana’s voice trailed off.

“So what kind of shows do you do?” Captain Faro asked.

Nilana shrugged. “Plays. Musicals. We have some people who do acrobatics too.”

“Thrawn here has a thing for the arts,” Eli said. “I’m sure he’d like to see you perform sometime.”

Thrawn smiled slightly. “As a matter of fact, I would,” he said.

“Uh…” Nilana glanced cautiously at Thrawn. “We’re going to need space for that…”

“Oh, we’ll figure something out,” Faro said. “I think there’s plenty of room in the hangar bay—”

Eli’s comlink suddenly chirped. “Vanto here,” he said as he picked it up.

“Commander, there’s a fight going on in the cargo bay. We need some stormtroopers down here stat.”

“On my way, Lieutenant,” Eli said. He promptly stood and excused himself.

“Speaking of the hangar bay…” Faro quipped. Then she said, “So where’re your parents at now?”

“Dead,” Thrawn answered for Nilana.

Nilana put her fork down as Faro hastily apologized. She saw Thrawn give Faro a warning gesture.

After a minute or two of eating in silence, Thrawn finally said, “Are you sure you don’t know Cheunh? Surely your parents would have spoken it around you.”

Nilana was silent for a moment before she answered. “Well…” she said, “I can sing in Cheunh, but I honestly don’t know what I’m singing about. My mother used to sing to me in Cheunh when I was little.”

Thrawn was about to reply when his own comlink chirped. “Yes, Commander Vanto, what is it?” he asked.

There was a sound of blaster fire. “Sir, there’s—hey! Where do you think you’re going?! Sorry, Admiral. There’s—there _was_ —an akk dog in the transport’s cargo hold. One of the men tried to stun it, but— _WHAT THE—HOLY—!_ ”

The comlink cut off.

Nilana suddenly stood up. Something nudged at the back of her mind. She couldn’t physically feel it, but it was there.

“Grim,” she said quietly. “I have to go.”

“Nilana, wait,” Thrawn said. “Sit down.”

The feeling came again. “I can’t,” she said. “That akk dog belongs to…one of my friends. I need to be down there in that hangar.”

Thrawn and Faro exchanged a glance. Then the Admiral said to Faro, “Report to the bridge. Put the ship on alert just in case.” Faro saluted him and left. Thrawn then motioned to Nilana. “Come with me,” he said.

***

The two Chiss had barely stepped out of the turbolift when a young Twi’lek girl ran up to Nilana. She looked upset.

“Sufiya!” Nilana exclaimed. “What’s going on?”

“Oh Nilana, it’s awful!” Sufiya cried. “Some officers were searching the cargo hold, and Kaji tried to stop them, but then he punched the officer and, and…” The girl sniffled. “Grim freaked out and started attacking everybody!”

“It’s okay, Sufi,” Nilana cajoled her. “Just let me handle Grim.”

“Nooo!” Sufiya said. “When the troopers came in, they started shooting, and…and…”

Then the girl noticed Thrawn was with Nilana. A spasm of fear crossed her face, and she broke down in tears. “Oh, Nilana! They shot Grim! He’s hurt and he’s so mad! They’re going to kill him!” She grabbed Nilana’s wrist and began to lead her to the hangar bay. “We need to hurry!”

Several squads of stormtroopers stood in the hangar, their blasters trained on a massive armored creature with large bug-like eyes and razor-sharp teeth. The creature stood over a figure lying prone on the floor in the telltale dark olive green uniform of an officer.

_Eli._

Nilana’s blood ran cold. Eli’s left arm was bleeding, and his blaster lay on the floor several meters away.

“Grim!” Nilana called. “Heel, boy.”

The akk dog diverted his attention to the Chiss girl, growling. He stepped over Eli and began to approach her, menacing her with his huge teeth.

“Grim…” Nilana said again, quietly this time. She reached out with her hand, slowly approaching the creature. “Grim, please...calm yourself, friend.”

She heard someone cock their blaster…she heard Thrawn order them to stand down…

She reached out to Grim’s own consciousness, and sensed his growling receding.

_It’s okay, Grim. I’m here._

She could feel the creature’s fear, sense his pain. She sent soothing thoughts to him as her hand met Grim’s nose. The akk dog whimpered as she petted his head.

“There now, big boy,” she said cajolingly. “Sit.”

“Nilana!”

She turned to see Shasta running up to her with Sufiya in tow.

“Nilana…you just…in front of all these people?”

“You are becoming more intriguing by the minute, little one,” Nilana heard Thrawn say as he approached them. Grim’s hackles went up, but a simple rub along his neck calmed him down.

Thrawn ordered the troopers to disperse and walked over to check on Eli. Nilana watched as a medic bandaged the Commander’s arm and put it in a sling.

“Shasta, keep an eye on Grim,” she said as she went over to join Thrawn and Eli.

The medic helped Eli to his feet. His eyes met Nilana’s.

“I’m so sorry,” Nilana tried to explain. “He scares easily when people are shouting—”

“How did you do that?” he asked.

“Perhaps I can explain it better than she can,” Thrawn said. “What she just did confirms who…and _what_ she is. I have seen this only once before, when I fought alongside General Skywalker during the Clone War. My comrade, Fion’estel’nuruodo, had similar abilities to what Skywalker demonstrated in battle, albeit far less refined.” He turned to Nilana. “You are none other than Nesteln’s daughter, Fion’ilana’nuruodo.”


	5. Chapter 5

**The _Chimaera’s_ Infirmary**

Eli winced as he reapplied the bacta-infused bandage on his arm. It was going to be a while before the akk dog’s bite would heal completely. _Damn that creature,_ he thought as he tucked the end of the bandage under the first layer. _Damn the idiots who provoked it too._  It was fortunate Nilana was there to distract it and calm it down.

_Nilana…_

She had saved his life…but in the most unexpected way imaginable. He thought back to some of the legends he had heard growing up about the Chiss; he could not recall a single one where the Chiss were Force-wielders…

Shortly after he had revealed Nilana’s parentage, Thrawn had explained to the both of them that a Force-sensitive Chiss was incredibly rare—so much so, that many of them believed such abilities to be the stuff of myth.

_How ironic, even the Chiss have legends of their own._

Eli smiled grimly to himself. _Still, another Chiss!_ he thought. _What are the odds of finding another of Thrawn’s species here?_ _And odds slimmer still that Thrawn should know Nilana’s own family!_

“How are you holding up, Commander?”

Eli looked up to see Thrawn entering the infirmary. “I’ve had worse,” he said. “That thing bit me pretty badly, though.”

“A good thing Nilana was there to save you,” Thrawn said.

Eli felt his face flush. “So what are you going to do about her?” he asked. “I mean, she _is_ a Jedi.”

“I never said she was,” Thrawn said.

“All the same, sir,” Eli said, “Will she be handed over to Lord Vader?”

“That remains to be seen,” Thrawn said. “Lord Vader hardly has any use for the Inquisitorius these days, as what remains of the Jedi have been wiped out.”

_No need for new Inquisitors…which can only mean…_

“No one can prove she used the Force to divert the akk dog’s attention to her. Any dog whisperer can do the same.”

Eli squinted at Thrawn in confusion. “You mean…?”

“It was all an assumption, Commander,” Thrawn said. “I have read some of the personal histories of Jedi who had sired children of their own, some of whom did not possess their parents’ abilities.”

Thrawn’s expression made his intentions clear. “What you saw today was nothing any animal trainer couldn’t do,” he said.

Eli nodded. “Understood, sir.”


	6. Chapter 6

The bunk was hard and uncomfortable to lie on. Nilana turned over to face the wall, wishing she could have her bedroll with her…at least it had a softer cushion and a couple extra blankets to curl up under than this hard slab they called a mattress on this ship.

She and the rest of her comrades had been given temporary guest quarters for their journey. Captain Faro had announced to them that the _Chimaera_ was scheduled to put in to port on Dantooine within the week. It would be up to her people to book passage to Ord Trasi from there. Several people complained, as this would mean that they would have to reschedule their tour, possibly even cancel the Ord Trasi gig altogether.

_That was stupid, saving that Imperial officer the way you did today,_ Nilana thought to herself. Given how many people were in the hangar bay when she calmed Grim down, it would be only a matter of time before somebody sent word out that there was a Force-user on their ship. Nilana’s gut twisted as memories came unbidden to her mind…memories of a shadowy monster wielding a glowing red blade……

_But I couldn’t just leave him to get mauled to death by Grim_ , she thought. _I had to help him…he was in pain…_

Nilana shifted her weight again until she was lying on her stomach. Shasta was already mad over her exposing her gift so blatantly in front of so many people, and especially such a high-ranking official as Admiral Thrawn. Tante Sabaa was upset too, but relieved that Nilana hadn’t been thrown in the brig. Sufiya was too scared to speak to her at all after all that.

_What was it that Thrawn said about her father?_

“Nesteln was not a Jedi himself, Nilana,” Thrawn had said. “Though he did express an interest in becoming one after he and I had met General Skywalker. He was too old to begin training as a Jedi at all, or so Skywalker told us.”

“So what happened after you met him?” Nilana asked.

“We parted ways,” Thrawn answered. “Skywalker said he would speak to his Jedi Council on Nesteln’s behalf.”

“But it never happened,” Nilana said.

“That is correct,” Thrawn said. “Nesteln grew impatient, and sought to meet with the Jedi Council himself, and in the meantime, to learn more about his abilities as he traveled. His wife—your mother—accompanied him, as well as a few other warriors eager to explore the regions of space we had not traversed in centuries.”

Nilana had said she did not remember any other Chiss besides her own two parents. Thrawn assumed it was because they had been killed or lost. He hadn’t heard back from Nesteln and Nirys, and assumed the worst had happened. By then, the Clone War had been long over, and, if spacers’ rumors were true, the Jedi were all dead.

_The red blade…_

_Damn Thrawn for bringing those memories back!_

She could not stop the tears from surfacing. She bunched her blankets up until her face was buried in them, and cried herself to sleep.

***

_She was standing in the snow, overlooking a majestic vista of snow-capped mountains. A sparkling city lay nestled in the valley below. The sun was rising just over the far ridge, painting the sky in soft pinks and golds, gilding the city’s rooftops, and making the snow beneath her feet sparkle like diamonds._

_“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” A male voice beside her said._

_She wanted to turn to look at who had spoken, but found she couldn’t. Her gaze was fixed upon the magical scene before her. The two of them were walking hand in hand together, snow crinkling beneath their boots. They stopped, and turned to face each other. The man took both of her hands in his. She noticed he wasn’t wearing gloves, and yet his peachy-brown hands were warm, and his grip was gentle. He was saying something to her, but she couldn’t quite make out the words. A feeling of warmth and comfort washed over her as he spoke. He pulled her in close and embraced her…_

_…the scene faded as she sank into a deep, dreamless sleep._


	7. Chapter 7

Thrawn checked his chrono. It was getting very late. He had considered retiring for the night, but his previous conversation with Nilana had left so many unanswered questions. _Why hadn’t Nesteln or Thirys contacted the Ascendancy if they were still alive?_ _Surely they had their reasons, but what were they? Being entertainers could not possibly have occupied so much of their time that they could not spare some of it to try to contact at least some CEDF outpost on the edge of this galaxy…_

The young woman clearly did not know the answers to this. She had been born outside the Ascendancy, and, from the sound of things, long after Nesteln had stopped contacting him.

Thrawn had ordered one of his officers to bring Nilana’s personal effects to his office. She did not have much, aside from her flute and hallikset. Buried under a few changes of clothes and a personal datapad, he found a flimsiplast journal. Curious, he began to leaf through the pages…

***

Eli did not mind having aliens aboard the ship. But then again, he had become accustomed to working with Thrawn for so long, it did not bother him as much as it did most of the other officers. Several of them complained when they had to give up their quarters for a few days.

_Too bad_ , Eli thought. Midshipmen and lower-ranking officers had to double up anyway, not to mention the _Chimaera_ ’s stormtrooper compliment.

But that wasn’t the problem. The problem most of them complained about was having aliens sleeping in their beds.

_The linens will get washed and replaced_ , Eli thought. _What was the big deal?_

Several TIE pilots had complained too. The first day out, the aliens had decided to take up space in the hangar to practice their show. Captain Faro at least had the sense to compromise, and had them move their practicing to one of the bigger mess halls instead. It would only be a couple of days, she and Eli had assured the crew, but that did little to appease them.

The commander had planned on watching one of these performances at some point, but his duties kept getting in the way. At length, he managed to set aside only a few minutes to peek in and watch them practice.

The mess hall’s tables and chairs were all moved against the wall to make room for the performers to rehearse their show. Noticing how sparse the room looked now, Eli was hesitant to just walk in and sit down. At length, he decided it would be best if he lurked just out of sight near the doorway. He felt silly having to hide like this, but barging in during a practice session unannounced would have been even more awkward.

Especially during a performance such as this.

It was a mesmerizing show of dance and acrobatics. The performers were all lean, whipcord muscle, deceptively strong despite their size, flexible and supple like cats. Eli recognized one of the flyers as the young Twi’lek girl named Sufiya. He watched as the taller aliens threw her high, deftly catching her as she performed a few flips midair.

Behind the acrobats, a pair of Togruta singers accompanied the musicians as they played an upbeat, exotic number. Eli found himself searching the group of musicians for Nilana…

There she was, seated near the middle of the group, playing the hallikset. Her fingers danced along the strings as she improvised, the music matching the movements of the acrobats as they leaped and flew before her. Her hair was braided away from her face, leaving the longer lengths to spill down her back. She had swapped out her tunic and skirt for a simple, yet elegant midnight-blue dress trimmed in silver embroidery.

“Quite a show, isn’t it?”

Eli bit his tongue to keep from shouting in surprise. Sabaa the Twi’lek woman had appeared behind him. She was leaning against the wall, with a pleased smirk on her face.

“Oh, um, sorry for lurking, ma’am,” Eli whispered. “I wasn’t planning on staying too long.”

“Oh, nonsense,” Sabaa said. “You didn’t look like you were going to spend just a few minutes here.” She motioned for Eli to follow her inside. “We’ve had a lot of your people come to watch. Trust me, kid, you’re only making it weird by hiding in the shadows like that.”

Sabaa showed Eli to a few seats in the corner of the room. He sat next to her, watching the performers go through some difficult moves. However, he found his attention wandering back to Nilana…

It was then that Eli realized he hadn’t thanked her for saving him from the akk dog. He made a mental note to do so as soon as she was finished here.

“Mind if I ask you a question?” Sabaa asked. “How does an alien guy like Thrawn make it to the rank of Admiral?”

Eli chuckled. “Long story short, he gets results. The higher-ups are either pleased, or they can’t find anything to complain about him. Believe me, it hasn’t been easy.”

“And how long have you been working for him?” Sabaa asked.

“Who wants to know?”

“I’m just curious,” Sabaa said.

“Since I was a cadet, actually,” Eli said.

He must have sounded embarrassed, because Sabaa said, “That long? You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s…kind of a long story,” Eli said. “Thrawn’s a little…unusual, even for an alien.”

Sabaa smirked again. “I’m sure,” she mused. “Nilana’s parents were a little odd themselves, but nothing like your friend here. We just chalked it up to them being new to the former Banking Clan worlds and left it at that. They adjusted pretty well, if you ask me.”

_So some of Thrawn’s quirks_ are _a Chiss thing_ , Eli thought. “I suppose that explains why Nilana doesn’t strike me as…well, _weird_ as Thrawn is. Not to knock on my own superior or anything.”  

“Ha! Between you and me, kid, Nilana thinks he’s a bit weird herself. Asking all these nosy questions about her mom and dad, the poor dear.”

Eli remembered Thrawn speaking sharply to Captain Faro about the girl’s parents. “Yeah, sorry about that. It’s probably a Chiss thing, because I remember Thrawn telling me that family is extremely important to his people.”

“Tante Sabaa?”

Eli looked up to see Nilana approaching them. Instinctively, he stood up to greet her. “Miss Nilana,” he said, nodding respectfully to her. He thought she had looked lovely from a distance, but up close like this…

Nilana gave Eli a small smile as she nodded back. “Commander,” she said. “Tante Sabaa, Jolah says we’re off beat again. I keep telling him we’re supposed to take cues from Kita and the others during the Banquine number, but it’s not sticking.”

“I’ll talk to him, dear,” Sabaa reassured her. Nilana thanked her and began to walk back to rejoin the band…

“Uh, Nilana?” Eli said suddenly.

The Chiss girl turned back to him. “Yes?”

“Hey, um, about what happened yesterday in the hangar…thanks for saving my life.” Eli winced, realizing how stupid those words sounded. It sounded so much more eloquent in his head. He noticed that some of the other performers had stopped practicing and were now staring at the two of them.

Nilana blinked. “Oh,” she said simply. “Yeah, about that…sorry about Grim. He’s harmless…erm, most of the time,” she added, glancing awkwardly at Eli’s arm where the akk dog had bitten him. “You’re welcome.”

Eli felt himself blushing again. “Well…it’s not every day you get your butt saved from a monster by a pretty girl. You sounded really good out there, by the way,” he said.

Now it was her turn to blush. Her cheeks flushed a faint purple. Eli noted that he had never seen Thrawn’s face flush…it looked really cute on her. “Thanks,” she said, smiling. She must have caught him staring, as she held up her hallikset. “I have to go practice.”

“Right. I have to leave anyway. I’m supposed to be back on duty in a couple hours. I’ll…I guess I’ll see you later, then?”

“You, or you and Thrawn?” Nilana asked. On the surface it sounded like harmless banter, but Eli could not shake the feeling he’d heard a note of disapproval in it. She must have noticed his surprise, because she simply smirked and added, “We’ll see.”


	8. Chapter 8

The _Chimaera_ had reached Dantooine with plenty of time to spare. Nilana was relieved…Shasta had become very cagey and unhappy with having to sleep in a cold, hard Imperial bunk that smelled like human for the past three nights, and even Tante Sabaa’s and Sufiya’s patience with him was wearing thin. They would all be back to sleeping in comfy beds and warm blankets soon.

Or so she thought.

The day the _Chimaera_ put in to orbit around Dantooine, Nilana had barely finished packing her meager belongings when a young ensign appeared in her doorway with a pair of stormtroopers.

“Admiral Thrawn wishes to speak with you,” he said. “He’s waiting for you in the hangar bay.”

Nilana slung her bag over her shoulder. “Of course,” she said quietly. Her insides felt hollow; she had checked her bag several times to make sure she had everything.

She was missing her flimsiplast journal. The one she had carefully kept hidden at the bottom of her bag. She had spent the last two hours scouring her quarters for it, but to no avail. She hoped Shasta or Tante Sabaa had it, but somehow, she had a feeling they didn’t.

***

Thrawn was waiting for her at the hangar’s entrance. Nilana could see the _Obtrexta Runner_ on the far end, refueled and ready to disembark.

“You look distressed, Nilana,” Thrawn greeted her.

_Was it that obvious?_ “It’s nothing,” she replied. “I think one of the younglings decided to practice their pickpocketing skills. Grim’s good at sniffing them out.”

“I’m sure he is,” Thrawn said, “But I doubt you will be needing your dog to find your missing items.”

Nilana looked up at him. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“We’ll talk further once we’re aboard my shuttle. I asked Ms. Saridi if I could speak with you in private…given what little time we have left before you leave, I thought we could do so on our journey planetside. I have business on Dantooine,” he added when he saw her confused expression. “Come, _vir’chah_.”

***

The Lambda-class shuttle was a bit roomy for only two passengers. Thrawn had brought along a few stormtroopers, but for now they were all manning stations in the cockpit, leaving the two Chiss alone in the passenger hold.

Thrawn reached into one of the onboard storage lockers and took out a small parcel wrapped in cloth. He sat down in the seat next to her and unwrapped it.

“I believe this journal is yours,” Thrawn said, “Or, should I say, your mother’s?”

Nilana gasped. _How did he get his hands on it?_ She reached out to take it. “How did you know it was my mom’s?” she asked.

There was a slight twinkle in Thrawn’s eye as he answered, “You told me don’t speak Cheunh. And yet, several pages are written in it. Given your reaction when I first spoke to you in Cheunh, I take it you did not write any of this.”

Nilana opened the journal. Some of the earlier pages did have text written in Cheunh…not that she understood any of it. She hadn’t spoken Cheunh since she was five.

“No, I didn’t,” she said. She flipped to a page with a tiny sketch of a man wielding a sword…an image of her father as a Jedi, drawn by her mother. “How do you know my dad didn’t write anything in it?”

“He could have,” Thrawn said, “But I can easily recognize your mother’s handwriting—and her drawings—anywhere. Your mother was quite the talented one in her family.”

Nilana turned to some of her own work. She had written partially in Basic, with a few Twi’lek glyphs here and there, and a few attempts at writing Muunish numerals in the margins.

“You seem to have known her quite well,” she said.

“Of course,” Thrawn said. “I was close with both of your parents, but I knew your mother much longer.”

Nilana had a bad feeling she knew where this conversation was going. “I’m sorry she jilted you, then,” she said stiffly.

“Jilted?” Thrawn asked. Nilana sensed a note of surprise in his voice. She looked back at him, and saw a tiny flicker of amusement cross his face. “No. You misunderstand. Your mother was part of my family.”

_Of course._ Nilana vaguely remembered her mother telling her that Chiss families included those who had been adopted by the Aristocra’s own blood relatives, as well as “trial-born” warriors who had pledged their services to the family, thus earning their place within it. Blood and water running together.

As she told him all this, Thrawn shook his head. “ _My_ family,” he said. “Not just the Eighth Ruling Family.” When he noticed that she wasn’t catching on, he asked, “Did your mother ever tell you that you had uncles, Fion’ilana’nuruodo?”

“Uh…”

It took a long moment to sink in.

“Waaaait…” The girl pointed at Thrawn, throwing him a cautiously confused look. He answered it with a subtle smirk of encouragement.

“Are you saying… _you_ are one of these uncles of mine?” she asked skeptically.

Thrawn’s smirk broadened into a full smile as he nodded. “Nirys—or rather, Thirys, as she was called before she married your father—was my sister.”

*** *** *** *** 

_He was waiting for her reaction…the girl’s face ran the whole gamut of expressions of skepticism and denial. Either she was going to lose control and start shouting, or take it in silence—_

Nilana laughed. She doubled over, covering her mouth and shaking her head. She glanced up at him again, took in his confounded expression, and burst into even louder peals of laughter.

“You liar,” she gasped once she caught her breath. “Shasta was right. You are one sad, lonely man desperate for attention.”

“I’m serious, Nilana.”

“Could you excuse me for a moment?” Nilana asked, attempting to stifle her giggling. “I need…oh stars, your face!”

Thrawn’s smile had disappeared. He eyed his niece in confusion as she stood to leave the passenger hold…

…only to find that there was nowhere she could go for privacy. The most Nilana could do was seat herself in the far aft corner near the weapons lockers.

_She has stopped laughing. She is curled up in the corner, quietly fidgeting with something around her neck._

“Nilana…”

_The girl doesn’t bother to glance up._

“Nilana,” Thrawn said again as he approached her. She hastily stuffed whatever she was fidgeting with back down her tunic and looked away.

_Her body language suggests she is unwilling to listen. Her face is flushed, her hands are shaking, and…there are tears running down her face. She shakes her head and pulls her knees closer to her head._

“You’re not my uncle,” she sniffled. “You can’t be. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

_She’s talking to her knees more than she’s talking to me._

“The walls have ears and eyes on the Chimaera,” Thrawn said. “We have more privacy here…what is that around your neck?”

“Nothing.”

“May I see it?”

“No.”

“I will give it back, Nilana, don’t worry,” Thrawn cajoled her.

Nilana looked up, finally meeting his gaze. Reluctantly, she reached down her tunic and pulled out a small pendant. She carefully undid the clasp and handed it to Thrawn. He turned it over, running his fingers over the tiny etching in the metal face.

“Do you know what this is?” Thrawn asked her.

“My mom said it’s my family’s sigil.”

“On the surface, yes. But do you _know_ what this is?”

“Um…”

Thrawn leaned in so that Nilana could see her mother’s pendant more clearly. “Do you see this notch here?” he asked. “Put your fingertip on it.”

Reluctantly, Nilana did so. The sigil slowly lit up. The light gradually brightened, revealing a holophoto…

_A fresh wave of grief washes over her._ She removed her finger and promptly reached up to wipe her tears away. _Grief, and now shame at the realization that she’s crying in the presence of her elders. She can’t look at me._

“Here,” Thrawn said, handing the pendant back to her. “Keep it safe.”

Nilana took it, but instead of clasping it back around her neck, she stuffed it into her tunic’s pocket.


	9. Chapter 9

Eli stepped off the shuttle and onto the landing platform at the Dantooine spaceport. After debriefing his own contingent of stormtroopers, he set off to meet with Thrawn down at Docking Bay 12. He watched as the _Obtrexta Runner_ swooped overhead, circling around to land somewhere farther down where the larger starships were docked.

He never did get to say a proper goodbye to Nilana. He knew Thrawn had summoned her one last time in the _Chimaera_ ’s hangar.

 _Probably to do exactly that_ , Eli thought with a twinge of jealousy. He had been assigned to brief a cadre of stormtroopers before they were to be transferred to Dantooine. _Lucky me_. Thrawn never seemed to have a shortage of ways to annoy him, accidentally or otherwise. If Thrawn kept this meeting short, he just might be able to catch Nilana before she was gone forever.

 _Thrawn was right, though_ , Eli thought to himself. _She is truly a remarkable young woman_. He was going to feel so sorry she left so soon…he had wanted to spend more time with her, getting to know her better…perhaps even teaching her some more Sy Bisti as he had promised the other night.

***

He had asked her out. He knew he wasn’t likely to get the chance to do so once they reached Dantooine. It was a simple dinner in the officers’ wardroom, just the two of them. They talked about their work, their families (Nilana’s adoptive family, at least—Eli was careful not to press her for details on her own parents), the planets they had visited and the different alien cultures they experienced. He was certain he had learned more about Muun and Twi’lek culture that night alone than he had from years and years of working for his father’s shipping company back home.

Eli risked dropping a hint about Chiss culture in their conversation. To his surprise, Nilana actually perked up, and began to ask him what he knew about it.

 _She doesn’t know her own people_ , Eli reminded himself as he patiently answered her questions. Of course, Thrawn would have been better at answering them than him, but Eli wasn’t going to pass up on impressing her with his own knowledge. Most of it he had learned from Thrawn over the years, but she didn’t need to know that.

When they were finished, Eli offered to walk her back to her quarters. He didn’t want her wandering around the _Chimaera_ by herself…not everyone here was as tolerant of aliens as he and Thrawn were, and he didn’t want to put Nilana through any harassment from the other men on her way back.

He had been teaching her a little Sy Bisti as they walked. It wasn’t until they reached her quarters when he took her hand and said, “ _Ahnguwisifeizan’ umahla_.”

Nilana looked confused at first. Then she laughed and replied, “Bless you.”

She had no idea what he had just said. It was just as well…she’d probably never know until she was long gone…

***

“Commander Vanto!”

There was a commotion coming from Docking Bay 12. Thrawn’s small retinue of stormtroopers were hurrying frantically about, establishing a perimeter and calling for backup. One of them called Eli over as he approached.

“Admiral Thrawn needs to speak with you—”

“That will be all, Sergeant,” Thrawn said, hastily dismissing the stormtrooper. “Commander, I need you to put together some search teams. Nilana is missing.”

Eli must have looked confused, because Thrawn continued, “She was traveling with me. I was discussing…personal matters with her. When we landed, she must have run off.”

It was not like Thrawn to be so easily baffled. “Sir?” Eli asked.

“She was there one moment, and then the next she wasn’t,” Thrawn said. He shook his head, his brow furrowed. “None of the stormtroopers saw her leave.”

“Shall I alert the local garrison? Have them keep an eye out for—”

“My troopers are taking care of it,” Thrawn said. “I need to you search for her in Docking Bay 238. That will be where the _Obtrexta Runner_ is docked. There is a good chance she went looking for her foster family there.”

“If I may ask, Sir,” Eli said, “Why was she traveling with you?”

Thrawn gave Eli a steely glare. “I will have to explain later, Commander. You have a job to do.”

Eli saluted. “Very well, Sir.” He turned to a group of stormtroopers who had just arrived. “You there! Captain! Get a team together and follow me.”

***

Docking Bay 238 was full of aliens milling about, waiting for everyone else to disembark. Nilana’s Twi’lek family was not hard to spot: two blue-skinned Rutians and a little pink-skinned girl were chatting with a pair of Mirialans.

The larger male Twi’lek, Shasta, spotted Eli first. His eyes widened as he urgently nudged his mother and motioned to the approaching Imperials.

Sabaa Saridi looked up from her conversation, surprised to see Eli and his stormtroopers approaching them. She promptly straightened and walked up to them.

“Commander Vanto,” she said, “What’s going on? Where’s Nilana?”

“Actually, Ms. Saridi, we were going to ask you the same thing.”

Shasta stepped forward, his face beginning to purple with rage. “You lost her?” He asked, his lekku twitching angrily.

“She was traveling with Admiral Thrawn—” Eli began.

“We know that, Imp,” Shasta snapped. “What did he do to her?”

 _The nerve of this guy._ “I’m not at liberty to say,” Eli said.

Shasta stepped closer until he was a few inches from Eli. The Twi’lek stood a good head taller than himself, and could very well beat him to a pulp if he wanted. He hoped Shasta was all talk and no substance, but from his body language and lack of personal space, it was pretty clear the Twi’lek wanted to physically take his anger out on him.

“Shasta, please,” Sabaa warned him. “I’m sorry, Commander, but we haven’t seen Nilana. We’ll help search for her—that is, if you need any extra help,” she said, glancing at the stormtroopers.

“She’s not likely to have gone far,” Eli said. “But I appreciate your offer. Do what you think is best…just try not to interfere with the troopers. We’ll let you know when we find her,” he added. It would not do to leave Nilana’s foster family out of the loop.

***

Eli found Thrawn aboard his shuttle in Docking Bay 12. The Chiss was forwarding a holo-message to Captain Faro aboard the _Chimaera_. He closed his holoprojector and turned to face Eli.

“You are still searching,” Thrawn said.

That was not a question. “Unfortunately,” Eli said. “What exactly did you say to her? That Twi’lek is fixing to beat me to a bloody pulp if I don’t tell him why she ran off.”

Thrawn folded his hands behind his back and fixed Eli with a questioning look. “Tell me, Commander…do you really find her that attractive?” he asked.

“What?”

“She told me you said something to her in Sy Bisti last night. She asked me about it.”

Eli felt the color drain from his face. So that was it.

_You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met._

Oops.

“Of course you do,” Thrawn answered for him.

“I…I was teaching her some Sy Bisti is all. I thought I would…well…as a send-off or something…”

“You thought you would drop some subtle hint about your feelings for her before she left,” Thrawn said, raising an eyebrow. “Knowing you would likely never see her again.”

Eli had started to sweat under his armpits. He hated it when Thrawn was right, especially when it came to personal matters. This happened almost every time Eli attempted a steady relationship with anyone. Only this time, it felt a lot worse, knowing his latest girlfriend (if he could ever consider Nilana one) was a Chiss like his commanding officer.

“I don’t blame you, Commander,” Thrawn said. “She _is_ quite beautiful by Chiss standards. But so was her mother. Enough to make her own brothers jealous for her own safety.”

“That reminds me,” Eli said, “Her…foster brother, that Twi’lek named Shasta, should I have him detained if he tries to assault any of my men?”

“By all means,” Thrawn answered. Eli saluted and turned to leave.

“And one more thing, Commander,” Thrawn said. “Is that Akk dog still with him? I believe I know how to find her.” He reached under one of the seats and pulled out what looked to be a small rucksack. “She left this here when she ran off.”


	10. Chapter 10

This wasn’t happening.

Nilana knew the Admiral was not lying when he told her he was her uncle. She couldn’t explain it…she could sense the sincerity in his words, in the way he carried himself, the look in his eyes…

_It is all true._

Memories of her own parents welled up in her mind, unbidden. Her father’s warm smile as he showed her how to commune with a tooka as he did…his laughter when she and the rest of the younglings put on their own little show for the grownups…her mother’s gentle embrace whenever Nilana was upset or hurt…how happy the three of them were, before Fion’estel’nuruodo was slain by a shadow wielding a red blade…

She remembered the pain and grief all too well. And she would experience again when the sickness claimed her mother three years later…

Tante Sabaa took Nilana in, and raised her as her own. Nilana was certain her wounds were finally healing after all those years, but now this stranger—one of her own people, yes, but still a stranger—was claiming to be her own flesh and blood too. It was too good of a coincidence to be true at all!

And yet…the holoimage in her pendant…

Those precious memories hurt. She cried, but tried in vain to hold her tears back. Thrawn didn’t seem to mind, but even so, she felt so ashamed of herself for breaking down in front of him. Such behavior was not Chiss-like at all.

She had slipped out of the shuttle when her uncle’s back was turned. She really needed some time alone to think. And especially to get away from Thrawn so he wouldn’t badger her with his own memories of her parents. She didn’t want to hear it. He was opening up a wound she didn’t want to have probed and picked at, and she found she hated him for it.

She hated him for it so much.

How she managed to slip past the stormtrooper guards and customs droids, she would never know. All she remembered was willing herself to be as unnoticeable as possible…as she passed them, neither gave her so much as a glance. It was a miracle.

_No, that was the Force. I was using it…just like Papa._

She came to a stop at what appeared to be an open-air market, surrounded on all sides by multi-storied walkways. Nilana made her way to a set of stairs and climbed to the highest story she was allowed to walk. She looked out over the balcony, taking a few moments to gather her thoughts.

It was all too much to take in.

She had an uncle. Here. In this part of the galaxy. Her mother’s own flesh and blood.

_Uncle Thrawn…_

Nilana nearly laughed at the thought. She couldn’t imagine this deadly-serious, uptight comm-tower of a Chiss being related to her mother at all. Her memories of her mother were one of warmth, love, laughter, and music.

But the resemblance was there. The slope of Thrawn’s nose and his prominent cheekbones were Nirys’s, too.

She watched beings scurry back and forth among the market stalls below. Humans and aliens alike going about their business. Mothers dragging their children alongside them. Couples walking hand in hand…

She had had another vision the night before, right after Eli Vanto had walked her back to her quarters. _It was him_ , she remembered. _He was the one walking with her in the snow, holding her hand as they paused to admire the sun rising over that shimmering golden city._

Just like he did when he told her that last phrase in Sy Bisti. There was an expectant look in his eye when he said it. She couldn’t understand a word he’d said, but she could sense something in the way he spoke, the way he looked at her...

_“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met,”_ Thrawn translated for her when she’d asked. “That certainly explains a great deal about his behavior these last few days,” he said. “I always figured he was in love with you, Nilana.”

She didn’t know how to respond to that. She had just sat on the floor in her little corner of the shuttle, silent and dumbstruck. _Of course_ , she thought. It _did_ explain a lot. He had been so kind to her these past few days, showing her courtesy when most other Imperial officers treated her and the rest of her alien friends like dirt. She had heard about Humans and aliens falling in love with each other, but she knew what happened to those who became mates or mistresses to humans in the Imperial military.

It always ended badly.

_Why me?_

_Would things have turned out differently if she hadn’t stepped in to stop Grim from tearing him to pieces?_

“Nilana!”

She turned to see Sufiya approaching her, with Grim dwarfing her as he sniffed the ground. He looked up, barked excitedly, and bounded over to her.

“Grim!” Nilana said, throwing her arms around her Akk-dog’s huge snout. “Ohhh who’s a good boy?” she asked as he happily licked her face.

“What happened, Nilana?” Sufiya asked. “Did the admiral hurt you? Did he say something awful to you? Mom and Shasta were so worried! We were afraid Shasta was going to tear the spaceport apart when Commander Vanto asked us where you were!”

“Oh, Sufie,” Nilana said. “You shouldn’t worry about me so much. I just needed some time to think.”

“About what?” Sufiya asked.

It was then that she saw Eli Vanto approach too. Nilana felt her insides bottom out.

“It’s good to see you’re okay,” he said. “Admiral Thrawn sounded really worried when he realized you’d disappeared.”

“Oh, right,” Nilana said. “Sorry about that. He, uh…long story short, he wouldn’t stop talking about my parents…”

Eli rolled his eyes. “Not again. Krayt spit, he keeps telling everyone else not to bring up that subject. Can’t he follow his own rules?”

Grim whined, as if in agreement.

“You need to get back to the spaceport,” Eli added. “Thrawn’s sent out a couple search parties for you. You really shouldn’t run off like that; you’ve had everyone worried. Your brother—”

“I know,” Nilana said. She could sense the urgency in his voice, especially at the mention of Shasta. She knew he could be an overprotective hothead sometimes, but the way Eli put it…

She gently tugged on one of Grim’s neck ridges. “Lead the way, Commander,” she said.

***

“Look, I’m sorry about what I said last night,” Eli muttered as they walked. He clearly didn’t want Sufiya to overhear their conversation. “That last bit in Sy Bisti, I mean. I didn’t—I didn’t think you would take it so personally…if you ever learned what I said. I mean—”  

“It’s okay, Eli,” she said. “It was…very sweet.” She saw him blush as she smiled at him. He looked so cute all flustered like that. _Perhaps what Thrawn said about his feelings for me was true._ She could certainly sense it now…or was it her own feelings stirring within her, resonating with his own? He was so handsome whenever he smiled, and especially at her…

“Smoochy, smoochy!” Sufiya teased. “Somebody’s in looooove!”

“Sufiya Saridi!” Nilana scolded her little sister. She laughed and said, “Why don’t you go on ahead with Grim and tell Tante Sabaa that I’m okay…and Admiral Thrawn too, if he’s around.”

Sufiya smirked and made silly kissy faces as she led Grim away.

“What did he say to you?” Eli asked as soon as Sufiya was out of earshot.

“Ridiculous crap, mostly,” Nilana said. “I think he was lying. He kept talking about my mother…he said…” She paused. It sounded very silly, now that she thought about it.

“He said my mother was his sister,” she said.

Eli squinted at her. “What?!”

“I know.”

Eli chuckled. “Could be worse. At least he didn’t say, ‘Nilana, I am your father,’ or something crazy like that.”

Eli laughed. Nilana couldn’t help but laugh too. It did sound ridiculous, now that she had talked about it with someone else.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t picture him being a father,” he said.

“That makes two of us,” Nilana said.

“Yeah...it does…”

Nilana realized Eli wasn’t looking her in the eye. He had that same expectant look he had given her last night when he spoke to her in Sy Bisti...

He was leaning a little close, too. She didn’t need to use the Force to know what he wanted to do. She leaned in a little closer to him, a bubble of emotion swelling within her heart. _She wanted it too…_

Eli’s comm chirped.

“Commander Vanto,” Thrawn’s voice said sharply.

The bubble burst.


	11. Chapter 11

_Eli and Nilana are holding hands as they approach the shuttle. Smiling. Laughing. Joking with the young Twi’lek girl as she teases the two of them together. The Akk-dog certainly seems more gentle than he did upon his first meeting with my aide a mere three days ago. The look in Eli’s eyes, and the look Nilana returns him, is unmistakable. I have seen him attempt to court young women before, but there is something profoundly different about the way he interacts with Nilana. He is polite, courteous, gentle, and sensitive to her feelings. My niece is a gentle soul, much like her father. Nesteln was, as the humans call it, a “bleeding-heart softie”, always quick to show kindness to complete strangers, always the first to step in and help people…such is the habit of House Fion, I suppose. A light in an otherwise dark universe. Eli Vanto deserves someone in his life who can demonstrate such qualities…but from a Chiss? This was certainly unexpected. Nilana’s father would have made a fine Jedi had their order not been eliminated at the end of the Clone War; a credit to his race, so to speak._

***

“How long?”

Thrawn folded his hands behind his back. “As long as is necessary, Ms. Saridi,” he said. “I intend to teach Nilana of her heritage myself. I’m afraid she has forgotten much since her mother’s passing.”

Sabaa Saridi eyed Thrawn suspiciously. “And if she refuses to go with you?”

“She will not refuse. She has reason enough to stay with me.” He gestured toward the docking bay entrance, where Nilana and Eli were saying goodbye. He watched as his aide reached down and kissed Nilana’s cheek. Even from far away, he could see his niece’s face turn a brilliant purple as she joined her Twi’lek sister and the Akk-dog.

Sabaa crossed her arms. “I still don’t believe you,” she said. “The odds of Nilana having another member of her family turn up on this side of Wild Space…” She noted Thrawn’s serious expression. “Those are some crazy odds. No wonder she wanted some time alone to think.”

“It is a…difficult pill to swallow, as the humans say,” Thrawn said. “So, do we have an agreement?”

The Twi’lek woman pursed her lips. It was apparent she wanted to say no…but this was clearly a chance for Nilana to reconnect with her own kind. She wouldn’t be alone…not that she was alone to begin with. But she would be with her own people. Thrawn certainly seemed trustworthy enough…

“I will need to speak with her,” Sabaa said. “After our opening performance tonight. We already have enough to worry about with preparations.”

“So be it,” Thrawn said. “I will require an answer by morning tomorrow.”

***

The show itself was fantastic. An outdoor amphitheater overlooking a beautiful seashore only made it that much more magnificent. Eli watched as the actors danced and sang, while acrobats leaped, swung, and pranced to the music. The story barely made much sense, but was heavy with allegory (as Thrawn was quick to point out many times). Eli recognized Sufiya right away—she was leaping and flying as the larger acrobats threw her high in the air. He remembered watching them practice aboard the _Chimaera_. He searched the stage for the musicians. After straining his eyes a little too much, he figured they were tucked away somewhere behind the scenery. It was just as well, because otherwise he would have missed all those amazing stunts…

At length, the show ended, and all the performers came out for their final bow. Thrawn was the first to stand as the audience applauded.

The musicians came out last. They were all wearing matching midnight-blue outfits trimmed with silver embroidery. Nilana stood near the middle, grinning and waving to the crowd.

Eli cheered her name, and for a second he was sure she met his eyes as she searched the crowd for whoever shouted her name.

***

He found her chatting with some of the other performers just outside the amphitheater’s entrance.

“Nilana,” he said. She looked up, smiled, and excused herself. The other girls all giggled at the two of them. _Sufiya must have told them_ , he thought.

“Hello, Eli,” Nilana said. “I’m so glad you could make it to the show tonight.”

“It was amazing,” he said. “Hey listen, um…I didn’t get to say goodbye to you properly, so…”

“I need to talk to you anyway,” Nilana said. “Do you have a few minutes? Maybe go for a walk around the block?”

“Sure.” He had at least two hours or so before he needed to report for duty anyway. Nilana took his hand, and the two of them walked together down the street.

“By the way,” he added, “Are you wearing perfume or something? Because…”

“Lysatra jasmine,” Nilana said. “Actually it’s for my hair.”

“Lysatra…?”

“I know, it’s your homeworld. I thought you might like it.” She linked her arm with his.

_She did this for me…_

They turned a corner, and found themselves strolling along a walkway with a gorgeous view of the beach. The sun had long set, leaving the sky and sea a deep, purplish blue that almost matched Nilana’s dress, silvery stars and all.

“I wanted to talk to you about Thrawn,” Nilana said quietly. “I don’t think he’s done with me.”

Eli stopped and turned to face her. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. I can’t explain it. It’s a gut feeling,” she said. “I suppose,” Nilana said quietly. “I’m…I just…I still can’t believe he’s my uncle. There’s no way. It’s too good of a coincidence.”

Eli agreed. The odds of two Chiss roaming the same part of Empire were so tiny. For two Chiss to be standing in the same room in the same part of the Empire, the odds were even smaller. And smaller still if the two Chiss were long-lost relatives…

Eli was not one to believe in things like the Force, or Fate, or incorporeal gods, but there was definitely something at work here. He could not quite put his finger on it…

Perhaps, he wasn’t supposed to be able to put his finger on it.

He had heard his fair share of Jedi legends when he was a boy. But that was all they were: legends. Stories.

 _Like that one where the human fell in love with an elf princess?_ Eli nearly laughed at the thought...even _that_ sounded like too perfect a coincidence.

No. There was definitely something at work here.

“Thrawn’s a good man,” Eli said. “He just…takes some getting used to.”

“I suppose…”

At length, the two of them had circled back around the block, and had returned to the amphitheatre.

“I guess this is goodbye, then,” Eli said.

Nilana nodded. “Yeah…I…kind of wish it could have lasted longer.”

Eli took both of her hands in his. “I do too,” he said. “Maybe I can ask Thrawn if you could stay a little longer—”

“No.”

“Hey, it’s okay. Even if he isn’t your uncle…” Eli paused. Then he said, “ _I_ want you to stay.”

His hands were sweating. That look of longing on Nilana’s face would break a man’s heart. ( _Maybe not Thrawn’s_ , Eli thought to himself.)

“I…” Nilana started. “Can you…?” She motioned for him to lean a little closer. He did so; his breath hitched at how close their faces were. Suddenly she grabbed his shoulders and kissed him full on the mouth.

The kiss only lasted a moment before she pulled away. She was still gripping his shoulders, staring into his eyes, so many words unsaid. She was so beautiful…and not just in appearances. Eli wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. The scent of Lysatra jasmine in her hair was so intoxicating, yet so soothing. She looked up at him, and smiled. He leaned down and kissed her back, more deeply this time. One kiss turned to several, each one more passionate than the last. He could hear her laughing as he kissed her neck…he loved her laugh so much…he was going to miss that—

“Hey!”

Eli suddenly pulled away just in time to see Shasta wind up a punch aimed right at his face.

“You get your hands off my sister, Imp!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may need to edit this chapter later. Re-reading this, I'm finding a lot of pacing issues, and a lot of the scenes feel too abrupt.


	12. Chapter 12

Nilana shrieked and dodged Shasta’s blow. The Twi’lek swung wide, aiming for Eli’s head.

But Eli was too fast for him. He blocked Shasta’s punch easily, and countered with a disarming strike. Shasta recoiled, the breath knocked from his lungs, but it would take more than that to take him down. He moved in to attack again.

Nilana could only watch in dismay as the two men fought. Shasta was a good fighter, but Eli had years of training in hand-to-hand combat as an Imperial officer. In spite of Shasta’s size advantage, he was still the better fighter.

But she couldn’t stand watching them do this. It was humiliating.

“Shasta, please! Stop!” she shouted. She attempted to pull him away from Eli, but only got slapped away instead.

The fight was beginning to draw a crowd. Several of them were from Sabaa’s troupe. To her horror and embarrassment, some of them were egging Shasta on, while others were taking bets.

She couldn’t stand it anymore. In desperation, she reached out with her will to calm her brother…

…and found that she couldn’t. Tears stung her eyes, and she covered her face with her hands. She couldn’t face anyone like this. Everyone would know she had caught the Imperial officer’s interest, and rumors would spread throughout the troupe that she had fallen in love with a human…

_The enemy…_

She reached out again, trying harder to focus…and still she could not calm her brother down. Her emotions were clouding her judgment.

“FREEZE, TWI’LEK!!”

Nilana felt a sudden stab of fear as she heard the sound of stormtroopers’ blasters power up.

“Step away and put your hands on your head.”

Shasta turned to face them, hatred written all over his face. Then suddenly, he swept his leg around and kicked Eli in the stomach, sending the commander sprawling on his back.

Nilana gasped in shock. _No…_ she waited for the sound of blaster fire, but it never came.

“Admiral!” one of the stormtroopers exclaimed. Nilana looked up to see Admiral Thrawn step toward Shasta, in a way that reminded her of a Nexu stalking its prey.

“Shasta Saridi,” Thrawn said calmly. “I am placing you under arrest for assaulting an Imperial officer without provocation. Surrender—”

Shasta glared at Thrawn, and then spat at him. Nilana watched in horror, waiting to see Thrawn’s reaction.

Then Shasta charged, preparing to strike Thrawn. But instead of blocking him, Thrawn simply grabbed Shasta’s wrist and put him into an arm lock. Nilana heard a nasty snapping noise as Shasta’s shoulder dislocated.

Nilana couldn’t watch any more. She began to back away into the crowd, hoping to slip away unnoticed—

_But then she would be leaving her brother at Thrawn’s mercy…and Eli…_

She had to find Tante Sabaa…she would know what to do.

As Nilana turned to leave, one of the stormtroopers stopped her, and ordered her to come with him.

Thrawn was waiting for her. He was standing over a prone Shasta, who was getting handcuffed by Thrawn’s stormtrooper guards.

“Make sure his holding cell is secure,” Thrawn said firmly. “And have his shoulder treated. I will be along to interrogate him shortly.”

“You bastard,” Shasta growled through gritted teeth. “You Imperials take everything. You’re going to take my sister too! I won’t let you!”

Thrawn quirked an eyebrow at Shasta. “In your current condition, I doubt you will be able to do that.” He turned to Nilana as she was brought before him.

Nilana nearly shuddered at Thrawn’s cold impassiveness. Her brother had attacked him, and he hadn’t a single scratch on him. _Unlike Eli_ , she thought. She saw Eli getting his own wounds treated by another officer. She felt even more embarrassed knowing she couldn’t save him like she did when Grim attacked him.

“Come, Nilana,” Thrawn said. “There are things we need to discuss.”

Nilana glanced back at Eli one more time. Their eyes met. She could sense his emotions roiling beneath the surface; so many words left unsaid in that single moment.

_I’m sorry Eli_ , she thought. _I’m so sorry._


	13. Chapter 13

_It is not very becoming of a Chiss to exhibit emotions so openly. My niece is clearly, terribly distressed by what happened earlier. She was too embarrassed to speak to anyone after the fight, and somehow blames herself for it._

_And for good reason. A Chiss her age would not display her affections so openly either. It was a poor show of judgment to do so, when she knew all too well what her adoptive brother thinks of the Empire, of her relationship with Eli...and of me._

~~~

“You’re going to execute him!”

Nilana looked pitiful. Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were puffy from crying and lack of sleep.

“I am doing no such thing, _vir’chah_.” Thrawn said. “If he cooperates, your brother’s sentence will only be a few months.”

“Only a few months,” Nilana repeated. “And how long is that, exactly? Two months? Six months? Don’t you think this is a bit excessive? I mean, it’s not like he was trying to kill Eli...”

“Perhaps you and Eli should have been a little more _discreet_.”

Thrawn watched his niece’s body heat bloom in her chest, slowly spreading down her arms and up the back of her neck.

“I couldn’t help it.” She dropped her gaze to her lap as the color washed over her face.

“All the more reason for you to stay,” Thrawn said. “A true Chiss does not behave in such a manner in public. There is a time and place for everything, Nilana, and I intend to teach it to you.”

“I don’t need etiquette lessons,” she muttered.

“Apparently, you do. Right now, you are being petulant. Whiny. Emotional. You let your feelings determine your actions. A proper Chiss does none of these. Clearly, your parents did not teach you our ways. As your uncle, it is my moral obligation to remedy that.”

Nilana looked up at her uncle gazing across his desk at her. “I don’t need to learn how to be Chiss,” she said stiffly. “I know enough already.”

Thrawn’s expression hardened. So she was going to be difficult. Stubborn. Like her mother. _The irony..._

“Ktesh’piraï?” He asked. He watched as his niece squinted in confusion as he spoke Cheunh. “Ktesh’taga. Tgürosai åpsany Cheunh, mhy’sphoro amå’vn. You have forgotten so much already.”

_Her embarrassment is palpable. Her gaze drops to her lap again. She can not meet my eyes out of shame._

He pitied her...it truly was no fault of her own that her parents died while she was still so young, in a galaxy where abilities like hers were a death sentence unto itself. Not that her fate would be any happier among her own people.

But still, that was hardly an excuse for neglecting to acknowledge her heritage, and live by its values. _Had Thirys abandoned her heritage as well? Had Nesteln? It had to be…to become a Jedi meant removing all connections to one’s family._

Thrawn stood up from his seat, and stepped around his desk toward Nilana. He pulled up a chair and sat down, leaning in close to get a better look at her. She promptly turned her face away.

“Nilana,” he said gently. “This is something your own parents would have wanted.” At least, he thought it was. Chiss were fiercely loyal to each other…had there been other Chiss with Thirys and Nesteln, Thrawn was certain Nilana would have been placed in their care. But there weren’t, and she wasn’t. And she was all the more vulnerable for it.

Thrawn reached over and took her hands in his. “This will not be permanent, I promise you. Ms. Saridi and I agreed that a few months would be sufficient. When we are finished, you may return to your foster family, if you wish. By then, Shasta’s sentence will be over.”

_Her hands tense as she thinks it over._ “Look at me, Nilana.”

Nilana slowly lifted her eyes to meet Thrawn’s. She looked so sad, so pitiful. _She is Chiss. She is supposed to have more dignity than this. What would her mother think if she saw her like this, all sad, humiliated, and broken?_

“I am not doing this to you out of malice, _vir’chah._ I want to finish what your mother—my sister—started.”

_There is a glint in her eye. One of resolve._

“And you won’t be alone,” he added. “Eli will be here, too.”

Thrawn watched his niece blush at the sound of Eli’s name. Bright shades of red and yellow glowed in her cheeks, and made her chest burn white. The memory of the kiss was so fresh in her mind, that her desire for his aide was so comically clear. _Very unbecoming of a Chiss, indeed._ He would have to watch them closely…partly out of concern for her wellbeing, and partly because he was so morbidly curious to see how their relationship would unfold in the months to come.

_I wonder…_

“Uncle,” she said finally. Thrawn was almost surprised at how candidly she said the word. _As if it came so naturally to her. This is a good start._ “I need to ask you a favor first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations from Cheunh:
> 
> Ktesh’piraï = Do you?  
> (lit. "you know", stated as a question)
> 
> Ktesh’taga. Tgürosai åpsany Cheunh, mhy’sphoro amå’vn. = You do not. You can't even speak Cheunh, your mother tongue.  
> (lit. "You do not know. You cannot (emphasis) speak your ancestors' language.")
> 
> vir'chah = child (general term of endearment, in this case used between uncle/aunt and nephew/niece)


End file.
